When two young BMX bikers -
confidant A.J. (Angelo D'Angelo, THE COCA-COLA KID)
and sarcastic Goose (James Lugdon, who shared the camera
with Kidman once more in 1987's NIGHTMASTER) - crash
their bikes into a row of shopping carts being steered by
spunky young supermarket checkout girl Judy (Nicole Kidman),
she joins them in search of funds for new bikes (including
one for herself). They come across a cache of walkie-talkies
(to be modified to tune into the police bandwidth without
them being aware) and sell them. Little do they know that
the contraband was the property of The Boss (Bryan Marshall,
THE SPY WHO LOVED ME) and that his goons Whitey
(David Argue, RAZORBACK) - so named because he has
bleach blond hair - and Moustache (John Ley, MAD MAX)
- so named because he has a mustache - are on their trail
(along with the cops who have been overhearing the kids'
communications). With no help from the cops, A.J., Goose,
and Judy call upon their juvenile biking friends to help
them root out the crooks. Director Brian Trenchard-Smith
already had experience directing action flicks on a budget
(for instance, TURKEY SHOOT/BLOOD CAMP THATCHER) and
with shooting stunts and pyrotechnics in a dynamic and
energetic style (DEATH CHEATERS and STUNT ROCK).
It the eighties hair, fashions (although the colors of the
BMX-wear spike the already colorful backdrops with bolder
colors), music, and the juvenile plot seem off-putting, it
is Trenchard-Smith's energetic set-pieces which hold
interest. Originally scripted to be set in South Australian
town of Williamstown, Trenchard-Smith convinced the
production to move to Sydney where they could make the most
of picturesque backdrops (to add some visual interest to
static expository scenes), beaches, the docks, a major
shopping mall (previously utilized in DEATH CHEATERS),
and other settings to add production value. Although Kidman
was quite photogenic here as a sixteen-year-old, her
performance is nothing special. That said, the teen trio are
likable and it scarcely matters that we know they are not
doing their own stunts (an eighteen year old boy had to don
a red wig to double for Kidman since female BMX bikers were
few and far between). The bumbling improv comedy of Ley and
Argue is variable, but Marshall is great as the chief
villain. Oscar winner John Seale (DEAD POETS' SOCIETY)
is responsible for the slick photography, although Trenchard-Smith
works in quite a few bike wheel level rig shots that goose
up the chase scenes. Ultimately, it's an entertaining pic
with some energetic sequences (thanks to Trenchard-Smith's
staging and editing), but I think I would have liked it
better had I seen it around the time it originally came out
(when my favorite films included stuff like THE GOONIES).
Although Kidman would reportedly rather forget her debut,
she's had some more recent films that are perhaps better
forgotten.

The dual-layer,
progressive, anamorphic transfer is sourced from a UK film
element (it is preceded by a vintage BBFC certification card and
a Rank Organization gong logo - although it is silent). The
colors are bold and the image quite clean. The DVD menu seems to
have been based on the Blu-ray
edition's (see
HERE) menus judging by the superimposed menu options
(although they are static here and somewhat awkward to navigate)
as well as the erroneous listing for "DTS-HD 2.0 Stereo" audio
on the setup menu (the feature audio is Dolby Digital 2.0 stereo
on the DVD edition). The stereo track only makes itself known
when there is music (including the theme song) or action sound
effects. The extras seem to have been ported over from the
Umbrella Entertainment 2-disc DVD, which reportedly sported far
poorer image quality (which may explain why a British source was
used by Severin).

As with the DVD of
STUNT ROCK, an amiable Trenchard-Smith provides an
informative and affectionate audio commentary (he is joined
later by his son). He points out some of his own editing faults,
as well as admits that he might have played up the gun violence
a little too much for a film aimed at kids). The "BMX Buddies"
featurette is longer on crew (director Brian Trenchard-Smith,
producer Tom Broadbridge, and writers Patrick Edgeworth and
Russell Hagg) than cast interviews (James Lugton is the only
cast member to appear, but the others - mainly Kidman - are
discussed). The writers and producers discuss the origin of the
story - the BMX brand was added after one of the producers read
an article in Forbes magazine - the changes to the original
script, the stunt doubles, and the film's worldwide reception.
"Nicole Kidman on Young Talent Time" is a vintage TV appearance
by the actress promoting the film. The theatrical trailer may be
a TV spot based on its length and 4:3 framing. Trailers for
INGLORIOUS BASTARDS (a spot emphasizing Tarantino's
involvement in the extras),
EAGLES OVER LONDON, and BIRDEMIC (are you %*@&ing
kidding me?) round out the extras.